


without you (i am color blind)

by CRUNK_ON_LIFE



Category: Power Rangers Time Force
Genre: Character Study, Established Lucas Kendall/Trip Regis, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Relationship Study, Romance, i love my boys so much omg, this made be cry a bit to write, y'all-
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 08:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14468955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CRUNK_ON_LIFE/pseuds/CRUNK_ON_LIFE
Summary: Late one night, when they're the only ones in the Clock Tower, Lucas finally lets himself break, and Trip is there- and always will be- when it happens.





	without you (i am color blind)

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from 'BLUE' by Troye Sivan ft Alex Hope
> 
> (Not too worried about OOC since Lucas is probably the Ranger we know the least about tbh, but if you feel I got him wrong feel free to message me :D)

Lucas sat on the windowsill of the Clock Tower, looking down at the city drenched in Hades black and silver stars with his legs dangling idly over it.

Emotions rocked in his body as he clenched his fists on the gravel of the windowsill he sat upon, copper eyes blank and lips pursed into a thoughtful line.

What could he have done differently…?

Was it even in his power to do anything differently…?

...Does he even deserve the morpher that sat innocently on his wrist, gleaming in the moonlight so harsh Lucas looked away almost instantly…?

Maybe he should’ve not even agreed to the race; he could’ve taken one mutant in a fight, and if he couldn’t, he had the Rangers.

Maybe he should’ve refreezed him before Nadira could have had a chance to shoot Dash’s DNA patch off; he was fast enough- he should’ve been able to.

Maybe he should’ve…

Well, he didn’t really know; every time he thought of something, he just thought of a way it could’ve gone worse.

Maybe they wouldn't even have gotten home; maybe he would’ve gotten hurt trying to stop Dash without a race…

But he couldn’t accept that there was nothing he could do; He was a Time Force Officer, a Power Ranger, for God's sake, and Dash was his oldest friend, his racing buddy, the guy that convinced Lucas to give racing a shot in the first place.

Hell, the guy practically shaped Lucas into the cocky, well-meaning hotshot he was today; Dash had done everything for him until…

Until that day, when Dash swerved too fast, wasn’t paying enough attention, and caused that crash, caused that building to collapse, caused those people to either be injured or die.

 _-Lucas, it was an accident! It was an_ accident! _Ya just_ gotta _believe me, Lucas!-_

_-...You...You’re under arrest, Dash. Don’t resist…-_

_-Lucas,_ please _-!!-_

Lucas grunted, wiping furiously at tears barely welling up in his eyes at the memories he kept locked inside his own head.

This wasn’t healthy, and he knew it.

(Jen had told him millions of times that he shouldn’t focus on the past so much, that it was gonna drive him fucking insane and dear God, did he _want_ to end up like her when she nearly _killed_ a mutant over grief?)

But he couldn’t help it…

The fact that Dash had done so much for him, and he got an arrest warrant from a blank-faced Lucas he didn’t recognize anymore in return? What kind of slap in the fucking face was that?

However, before he could stew longer in his grief and self-loathing, a voice called out to him.

“Love? You alright?” A male’s voice asked, and Lucas sighs through his nose in both relief and sadness.

It’s only Trip; definitely no threat there.

“Yeah, babe, I’m OK; Just have a few thoughts racing around in my head.” Lucas replies.

“So, do your thoughts go as fast as you do when they're racing?” Trip joked, handing him a mug of hot chocolate as smiling when Lucas let out a hoarse chuckle.

(Trip knew how difficult this was for Lucas; Dash had been there for him for so long, and the mutant had had a brief moment of clarity and mercy before Nadira forced him to fight Lucas.

He’d seen the grief in Lucas’s brown eyes when he refreezed Dash- after he’d had immense hope, only for a moment, that he wouldn’t have to- and placed him in the containment unit.

Trip had felt his own heart fracturing into pieces at the sight, and he wished there was something, anything, he could do to quell his closest friend, his _love’s_ pain)

“Nah; they’re going pretty slow...and only on one thing…” Lucas’s slight smile falls, and his mouth is then obscured by the whipped cream-topped beverage as he takes a long drink.

It burns, but it’s warm and comforting, almost as warm and comforting as Trip’s presence, so he doesn’t mind as much as he usually would.

Trip frowns sympathetically, his small hand, warm from the second-hand heat of the green mug, rubbing Lucas’s own arm comfortingly.  
“Yeah, I knew that…” Trip shrugs one shoulder sadly, eyes flicking upwards a bit as if he was trying to gesture to the silver crystal embedded into his forehead.

Lucas nods as if he understands; he figured Trip would already know, given his powers and that he came over to Lucas and not the other way around.

Under normal circumstances, he would be annoyed, even angry, at the gem’s unpredictability, but right now, he was grateful.

If Trip already knew, then Lucas wouldn’t have to talk about it. 

If he didn’t talk about it, he wouldn’t cry.

If he didn’t cry, he’d keep his reputation intact (though that’s a bit useless, since Trip’s the only one that’s seen _all_ of him).

If he kept his reputation intact, he could convince himself that...he could be alright.

“It’s dumb...it happened so long ago, T.” Lucas continues to frown, setting the half drunken mug down on the floor and rubbing his arms for comfort. Trip sets his mug down as well, scooting closer with a heart broken look.

“It’s not dumb; I get it,” Trip says, and that’s all Lucas needs.

Lucas’s shoulders hunch; Trip _does_ get it. He may not have gone through it, but his empathy allows him to understand anyway.

And maybe that’s why Lucas breaks in that moment…

Maybe that’s why he scoots closer and can’t keep the tears in…

Maybe that’s why he lets out sob after sob into Trip’s shoulders, clutching the boy’s orange hoodie like a lifeline as Trip sobs as well from the sheer force and agony.

...Maybe that’s why he finally lets it all out. Finally allows himself to think about this in the first place, allows himself to once again break in front of Trip…

...Because Trip understands; he always has, and he probably always will…

Because he’s seen it all, all of the ugly and cocky and _good_ that is Lucas Kendall, and hasn’t left, because Trip was intimidated by humans and their secrets and their anger, but stayed anyway because _goddammit_ he wants to understand.

...And maybe that’s why they work so well together; they’re both willing to learn, willing to do, willing to trust…

Willing to stay, when no one else would’ve.

And as Trip wipes his eyes and they finish off their mugs of hot chocolate, as Lucas begins to let Trip sleep on his cot with him (and Trip doesn't quite hold him, but he hovers close enough to it just in case Lucas's tears aren't done, in case Lucas seeks him out again), and when he wakes up with his fingers interlocked with Trip's as the Xybrian sleeps, green hair tossed around and framing his face, Lucas once again realizes...

It's not so bad to open up- so long as Trip is there to help him through it.


End file.
